“The place of faith and the faithful in U.S. politics is often misunderstood and neglected” and that role is changing and challenging both political parties and religious communities, said John Carr, founder and director of the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life at Georgetown University, which co-sponsored the panel discussion.

In my work as the policy and outreach coordinator for the Minnesota Catholic Conference, I meet many Catholics who have a deep aversion to politics. In their experience, politics are so steeped in special interests and dominated by power games that they don’t see why a Catholic should wade into such an imperfect arena.

“Our faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ is teeming with political implications, and we cannot live our faith in Jesus Christ as a private affair. We cannot be afraid to challenge our democracy with the truths of the Gospel. In fact, our democracy depends on that challenge,” said Bishop James Conley of Lincoln, Nebraska.

“Most Catholics don’t know who their state legislators are, so what we’re really trying to do here is not just to go and tell legislators what the Church thinks about an issue, but really help Catholics — on whatever issue they’re concerned about — be better public servants and faithful citizens,” Adkins said.

He lost by a landslide, but Riley Horan wouldn’t change a thing about his campaign for a seat in the Minnesota State Legislature. For Horan, engaging intensely and personally in politics was a way of standing up for the values his Catholic faith has given him, especially against staggering odds. Plus, at age 21, Horan still has a lot of time to make a comeback. With a win, he would have been the second youngest legislator in Minnesota’s history.

Much can and has been said about the most recent election, and much more will be said for years to come. What is undoubtedly true is that the election cycle exacerbated two powerful dynamics in American public life: the constant thirst for change as a reaction to a political system that does not seem to work for average Americans, and deepening vitriolic divisions between people.

As Pope Francis says, a good Catholic meddles in politics. We’re called to be good citizens not just of the next life as Catholics, but good citizens of this life. We’re called to try to bring about what’s going to serve the good of the person, the dignity of the person.

Venturing into the political realm today can be an unappealing prospect. Sometimes it seems that American politics appeals to our base fears and prejudices, while advancing only the special interests of a powerful few.